Desert Biome
Cassie & Jasmine
Ecology
Where Deserts Are Located
Desert Plants
• They are often swollen, spiny, and have
tiny leaves that are rarely bright green.
• Their strange appearance is a result of
their remarkable adaptations to the
challenges of the desert climate.
• Examples of desert plants are Barrel
Cactus, Brittle Bush, Saguaro Cactus,
Ocotillo, Soaptree Yucca.
Desert Animals
• The animals that live in the desert usually have
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special adaptations that allow them to survive
the extreme temperatures and conditions that
are in a desert.
Examples of desert animals are camels,
scorpions, snakes, lizards, and turtles.
A camel can drink very large amounts of water
in one day or survive for a relatively long time
without drinking any water.
Facts About The Desert Biome
• Deserts cover about one fifth of the Earth's
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surface and occur where rainfall is less than 50
cm/year.
Soils often have abundant nutrients because
they need only water to become very productive
and have little or no organic matter.
Disturbances are common in the form of
occasional fires or cold weather, and sudden,
infrequent, but intense rains that cause flooding.
Desert Climate
• The desert is the hottest biome on earth.
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However, the desert is also a land of extremes.
It can be over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during
the day but below 32 degrees at night. This
change is because deserts are bare.
The amount of rainfall also varies. Though there
is little rain in a desert, and when it does rain, it
pours. Violent rainstorms can cause flash floods
in the desert. After a storm, the desert may not
see any rain for weeks or months.
Human Influence On Deserts
• An increase of human population in recent
years has greatly impacted global
biodiversity.
• Environments that were once were in
balance have been destroyed and a great
indication of this is the increase in the
desert areas worldwide.
Abiotic Factors
• Temperature
• Sunlight
• Climate
• Soil
Desert Food Web
Interesting Facts
• Sahara desert is the second largest desert in the world,
after Antarctica, and the largest hot desert in the world
• The history of the desert dates back to 3 million years ago
• The Mojave Desert is the driest and smallest of the North American
deserts and was named after the Mohave tribe of Native Americans.
• Sahara desert can said to be equivalent to the continent of America
• Lack of water creates a survival problem for all desert
organisms, animals and plants alike. But animals have an
additional problem -- they are more susceptible to extremes
of temperature than are plants. Animals receive heat directly
by radiation from the sun, and indirectly, by conduction from
the substrate (rocks and soil) and convection from the air.
Questions
• 1. Name one of the biggest deserts in the world?
• 2. True or False: Is there a deserts
called Chihuahan?
• 3.Deserts cover about___ of the earth's surface?
• 4. Animals in the desert usually have special__
that allow them to survive the extreme
conditions.
• 5.True or false: The fur of the Arctic Fox is white
during the winter and gray-brown in the summer?
Works Cited
• www.worldbiomes.com/
• www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty
• www.google/desets animals.com
1. Name one of the biggest deserts in the
world?
2. True or False: Is there a desert called
Chihuahan?
3. Deserts cover about___ of the earth's
surface?
4. Animals in the desert usually have
special__ that allow them to survive the
extreme conditions.
5. True or false: The fur of the Arctic Fox is
white during the winter and gray-brown in